Mini Apple Galettes

Woops time got away from me and I forgot to post Miss V's Apple Galettes from the other day.

It is one of her old YCA recipes.

Ingredients
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbs flour
3/8 (use 1/4 tsp) ground cinnamon
3 tart apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 unbaked refrigerated pie crusts

Equipment
Measuring cups and spoons
bowl
apple peeler, slicer, corer
Knife
Rolling pin
4-5 inch biscuit cutter/cookie cutter
Baking Sheet
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 400.  Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.

Cut 5 circles out of each pie crust, re-rolling scraps as needed. (she used a smaller cutter and got 7 out of each crust)

Place heaping tablespoon of apple mixture into the center of each pie crust circle, leaving a 1 inch border.  Carefully fold border toward the center, pleating dough edges to create a round pastry with about 1 inch of exposed filling in the center.  Like a free form tart.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Makes 10 galettes.  (she had 14 smaller tarts)

YCA at Home?

So I was checking an email address that I use for online purchase/spammy type of stuff.  Well this morning this caught my eye.

YCA@Home

Curated just for you and your child, our twelve month program will take your child through a sequence of hands–on cooking lessons and fun activities, thoughtfully designed to build cooking skills to last a life time.  Each month your child will receive a sticker to place on their “Progress Tracking Poster” as they work toward the goal of becoming an official YCA Master Chef.  At the completion of the program, your child will be able find their way around the kitchen and through recipes with confidence.  They will also receive a specially embroidered patch commemorating their coveted “Master Chef” status.

As a member, each month a packet addressed to your child, containing specially themed recipes, lessons, and activities, including a special “secret ingredient”, is delivered to your door.

In addition to the monthly subscription packets, you will enjoy access to a members only website, where the joy and value of cooking the YCA Way is brought to life, including cooking resources, interactive activities, picture sharing, instructional slide shows, bonus recipes, cooking quizzes, and more!

Join YCA@Home and meet Culi, your child’s very own cooking coach, as he brings the exciting world of learning to cook the Young Chefs Academy way, to your home! Each monthly shipment is curated to provide a one of a kind culinary learning experience for your child.

Each month, you and your child will receive the following:

Recipe Booklet
Parent Connection Card
Culi's Capers Activity Sheet
Secret Ingredient
Skills Progress Sticker
Member Website Secret Password
The first month, members will also receive:

Official Young Chefs Academy Student Apron
Young Chefs Academy Multi-Measuring Spoon
YCA@Home Recipe Holder
Progress Tracking Poster
Introduction Letter

Now most of you know that Miss V attended classes at our local Young Chef's Academy from they day the opened until they unfortunately closed.  She went from Kindercooks to a full year in Jr. Chef's and attained her Master Chef Phase 1 status and has all the badges, she "graduated" on September 27, 2007.  She was so excited to be working on her Phase 2 when YCA closed.  She was very disappointed.  She loves cooking and her teachers Chef Shawn and Chef Terry.

Anyway...I did notice that with this home program she would work to getting her Master Chef status.  I emailed the company and asked what happens if the child already is a Master Chef from a physical location.  I then told Miss V about it and she sounded excited about it but had the same question.  She said she would think about signing up.  I think when she gets home from school I will show her the site.  I am pretty sure that she will want to sign up.  I also saw that you can purchase some of the apparel and tools online...YEAH!  She was bummed when she outgrew her YCA jacket and T-shirts.

Even though her face is blurred, you can see how happy and proud she is.  She was the youngest ever to graduate from the North Port YCA.

Spinach and Chicken Cannelloni

This is another recipe that Miss V picked out of her YCA (Young Chefs Academy Binder).  This recipe does call for you to make Tomato Basil Sauce, Creamy Alfredo Sauce and Fresh Pasta.  Well I subbed jarred sauces and dried lasagna noodles.  It says 6 but the filling makes alot, so you could probably make a couple more noodles.

1 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 pounds part skim ricotta cheese
1 pre cooked chicken breast, shredded
1 cup Romano Cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
3 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbs Italian parsley chopped
1 tsp fresh basil chopped
1 1/2 cups Tomato Basil Sauce
1 cup creamy Alfredo Sauce
1 recipe fresh pasta shaped into lasagna noodles, cooked and cut in half (or  6 dried noodles)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine spinach, ricotta, chicken, Romano Cheese, Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley and basil.

Pour 1 1/2 cups Tomato Basil Sauce evenly in a 13x9 baking dish.  Evenly spoon about 1/3 cup chicken spinach mixture filling in the center of each lasagna noodle half.  Fold ends over the filling overlapping the ends a small amount to form a filled tube.  Place seam side down in prepared baking dish.  Repeat making 12.

Top each with a dollop of Alfredo sauce.  Evenly sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  Bake covered with foil for 20 minutes.  Uncover and bake 10 more minutes until bubbly.  Makes 6 servings.

Shells and Cheese with Bacon

This is one of the recipes Miss V picked out from her YCA (Young Chefs Academy binder).  She was busy doing homework so I made it.

1/2 pound small dried pasta shells (used medium size)
1/4 pound thick cut bacon, cut into lardons
1/4 medium onion, medium diced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoons fresh dijon mustard
dash cayenne, or to taste
pinch nutmeg
2 cups grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated gruyere cheese (subbed Swiss)
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon (skipped)
1 1/4 cups fresh bread crumbs (used Panko)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook shells until al dente and drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a 3- to 4-quart gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

Heat a heavy large saucepot over medium heat. Add bacon and saute until golden brown. Add onions to pan and cook until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Whisk in milk gradually and bring to a boil. Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add mustard, cayenne, and nutmeg and whisk in 3 cups cheddar and 2 cups gruyere. When cheese is melted season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl stir together shells, herbs and sauce and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Transfer to prepared dish. In a medium bowl stir together bread crumbs, melted butter and remaining 1 cup cheddar and 1 cup gruyere; season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle cheese breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Turn oven on broil during last 3 minutes of cooking, if desired, to achieve a deep golden brown color on breadcrumbs. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and serve.

Makes 4, 1 cup servings. Recipe courtesy of Rocco DiSpirito

I served this with a tossed salad.  It was really good, but very rich.

Pork Chops with Dijon Cream Sauce

This recipe is what Miss V picked out one of her old YCA (Young Chefs Academy) binders.  The only thing I did for her was to cook the pork chops.

4 boneless center cup pork loin chops about 1/2 inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tbs Dijon Mustard
2 tsp thyme, minced (used dried instead)
1/3 cup evaporated milk

Trim fat from chops.  Sprinkle both sides of the chops with salt and pepper.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and place over medium high heat until hot.  Add chops to skillet and cook 4 - 5 minutes on each side or until browned.  Remove chops from skillet and keep warm.

Add broth to skillet stirring to loosen browned bits.  Combine mustard, thyme and evaporated milk and add to skillet.  Reduce heat and simmer for 7 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.  Spoon sauce over chops.

Makes 4 servings.

She served this with leftover white rice and a mix of peas and carrots.  It was very good and I am happy that she decided to add her own recipes to our menu plan.

YCA Green Bean Bundles

Victoria always makes Green Bean Bundles for Thanksgiving.  She first made the recipe when she attended Young Chefs Academy and was in the Kindercooks Class.  (for her own safety, I blur out her face)

16 slices pre-cooked bacon (she prefers raw bacon)
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400.

Place beans in a colander wash. Snap the ends off the green beans

Simmer beans on stove, just covered with water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain beans in colander and rinse with cold water to hold color and cool. (we have discovered that a quick blanche is better for the beans and then toss them in the ice bath)

The bacon should be flexible to work with. If need be, place on a paper plate and microwave just long enough to war

Place 4 to 6 green beans on a slice of bacon. Roll the great beans into a bundle with the bacon. Continue until all the green beans have been used. About 16 bundles.

Place the bundles seam side down side by side on a greased baking dish.

Melt the butter in a small microwave safe bowl. Add brown sugar and mix well. Drizzle over the green beans in the baking dish.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Black Cat Cookies

This is a repost from 9/2009.  I figured since it is officially "Halloween" time, I would share some of our fun recipes/crafts.

Enjoy!

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I was issued a challenge by an iVillage Momma to find her a cookie that had actual candy corn in it.  I do have one, but it was posted on Master Chef Victoria's private blog back on 9/10/09.  Here is the recipe, without pictures of my little chef. 

I decided that I was going to try out the recipes for my Halloween workshops and today was Black Cat Cookies!

2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 tbs vanilla
3 cups AP Flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Candy Corn
Red Cinnamon candies

Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add 1 egg at a time beating well after each addition. Add vanilla; beat until well mixed.

Combine the dry ingredients except candies in a medium bowl. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Beat until well mixed.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten to ½ inch. Wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm at least 2 hours or quick chill in the freezer.

Heat oven to 350. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. One half at a time, (keeping remaining dough in the fridge), to ¼ inch thickness. Cut with 3 inch round cookie cutter. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets (I like to use parchment).

Using fingers, pinch up 2 ears at top of each circle. Place 2 candy corn on cookies for eyes and 1 cinnamon candy for nose. Press tines of fork on each side of cookie below the eyes to form whiskers.

Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are set. Let cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire cooling rack.

TIP: Look for different colors and varieties of candy corn to create different colored eyes.

All done, it came out pretty cute I think.

Teryiaki Shish Kabobs

Here is the dinner Victoria picked out of her YCA binder.

Marinade
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbs garlic, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp fresh ginger grated or ginger powder (Victoria likes fresh ginger)

Kabobs
Choose 1 meat, the pineapple and 2 or 3 vegetables from the following list:
Pre cooked shrimp, ham, chicken or kielbasa

Pineapple chunks, fresh or canned (drained)

Broccoli florets
Yellow squash, cut int 3/4 inch slices
Mushrooms
Cherry Tomatoes
Red onion, cut into wedges
Green Peppers, cut into wedges

4 (10 to 12 inch) wooden skewers

Soak the wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes

Prepare marinade by combining the ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk until brown sugar dissolves.

Prep pineapple and selected meat/vegetables.

Each person can prepare their own kabob by placing their chosen ingredients and 2 tbs of the marinade in a zipper baggie.  Allow to marinate in the refrigerator to 20 to 30 minutes. (We just placed everything in one large zipper bag)

Preheat grill and coat with cooking spray.

Remove the baggies and carefully skewer meat, vegetables and fruit alternating colors.

Grill for 6 to 8 minutes or until done.

Make 4 large kabobs. (We ended up with 5)

S'Mores

Victoria was in charge of dinner and dessert last night.  Here is the dessert that she picked out of her YCA binder.

1 baguette, cut into 12 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 tbs butter melted
1 1/2 tbs sugar
3 chocolate bars, broken into 12 equal pieces (Victoria likes Hershey's Special Dark)
12 large marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

Arrange the bread slices on the baking sheet and generously brush melted butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Sprinkle the buttered bread slices with sugar.

Bake the bread until crisp and golden, about 12 minutes.

Change the oven setting to broil at this time.

Once the bread has been removed from the oven, immediately place the chocolate pieces on the warm bread.

On top of the chocolate, place one large marshmallow.

Immediately return the baking sheet to the oven for 1 minute to broil.  Watch carefully, they marshmallow can burn very quickly.

Serve warm, makes 12 servings.  (We only made a half batch)

SHARED HERE:

Sweet as Sugar Cookies - Sweet for Saturday #32

Kids in the kitchen and grocery shopping

One of pet peeves is when people say they hate when their kids are in the kitchen and make a huge mess or they hate bringing them to the grocery store.  To me it is a learning experience. 

So what is a little mess?  Teach them to clean up after themselves.  Victoria knows that if she makes something she cleans up the counter and puts dishes in the dishwasher or she will hand wash items that do not go in the dishwasher.

She loved to be in the kitchen even before going to cooking classes.  She took classes for a few years and even became a Master Chef in 2009.  Unfortunately the cooking school closed and I make it a point to encourage her to keep cooking and learning new recipes and kitchen facts.

Today we decided that she could look through her old binders and pick dinner and dessert.

She picked her recipes and then made her shopping list.

Then we headed out to Publix.

She knows how to pick out ripe fruits and veggies.

She also knows to look for what is the best price for items.

And when she does her own shopping, she likes to push the cart.

National Truffle Day!

In honor of National Truffle Day, Miss V (aka Master Chef Victoria) and I made truffles this evening.  I found the recipe earlier in her YCA Binder.

Chocolate Covered Truffles

10 oz semi sweet chocolate squares, divided
4 oz cream cheese, softened
Garnish:  Sprinkles or chopped nuts

Melt 4 oz chocolate squares in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir and then heat for another 30 seconds.  Stir until completely melted.

Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until creamy.  Stir in melted chocolate and combine until smooth.

Place the mixture into an 8x8 baking pan and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Shape into 1 inch balls with a small cookie scoop;  place on wax paper and chill in the freezer for another 15 to 20 minutes.

Melt 6 oz chocolate squares in the microwave as directed in the 1st step.  Using a fork, dip each ball into the chocolate to coat and place on wax paper to set.

Garnish with sprinkles or chopped nuts if desired.  Makes 16 truffles.

Happy National Truffle Day!!!

Chili Cookoff

This year Miss V decided that she wanted to sign up for her school's chili cook off again.  Last year she came in second and we were so proud of her.

Instead of getting up at 6 am on Saturday to make it, she decided to make it on Friday afternoon.  She makes her YCA One Alarm Chili, but she likes to season to taste and she ends up adding a bit more chili powder and cumin.  This year I bought her 6 pounds of ground beef.

It smelled wonderful and she let it simmer for a couple hours on Friday night.  When I got up on Saturday I put it back on the stove to warm up and warmed up the crock pot.  It filled the crock pot almost to the point of spilling out.  We transported it to school safely and not a drop was spilled.

Here she is right before the Fun Fest started in front of her chili.

She was so excited!  We talked about what would happen if she didn't win and she said that it would be ok and she would try again next year and that she was doing it for fun. but she really wanted to win so she could put the prize money in her Nintendo DS fund.  She is saving her money to buy her own DS.  I went to check and her crock pot was almost empty!  Right before the votes were counted I peeked again and the crock pot was scraped clean!  That had to be a good sign right?

A little while later the announcement came that they were going to give the results of the chili cook off so we waited and the principal of the school called Victoria's name for first place. She looked at me for a second like she was confused.  Then she busted out with a HUGE grin and ran off to get her blue ribbon!!!

Here she is with her ribbon and her prize money was delivered shortly afterwards.  When we got home the prize money went right into her DS Fund Ziploc baggie.

Way to go Master Chef Victoria!!!!  We are so proud of you!!!

Mexican Christmas Cookies

Miss V picked this out of her YCA Binder for dessert, as with all YCA recipes you; Read It!, Place It!, Create It!

Ingredients:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Additional 3/4 to 1 cup confectioner's sugar for rolling

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
mixer bowl
mixer
cookie sheets
sifter
cooking spray
small bowl

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Cream together 1 cup confectioner's sugar and butter.  Add vanilla, almond and cinnamon.

Add flour and mix well.  Dough will get stiff.

Using a tablespoon of dough, roll unto balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.  You can also make crescent shapes by rolling dough into a long rod pinching off a bit at a time, and curve into a half-moon shape.

Bake for 15 minutes.

Let the cookies cool for 5 to 7 minutes.

Place confectioner's sugar in a flat dish or bowl and roll the balls to coat. 

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

Taco in a Bag

I have been in a cooking rut lately, so this morning I handed Miss V one of her binders from YCA and told her to pick out dinner and dessert.  She picked out one of her all time favorites, Taco in a Bag.

As with all YCA recipes you; Read It!, Place It!, Create It!

Ingredients:
1 pound pre-cooked beef crumbles
1 pk taco seasoning (I use my own)
4 packages (2.5 oz) corn chips
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/3 cup salsa (tonight we used Newman's Own Tequila Lime)

Equipment:
measuring cups
knife
scissors
saucepan
wooden spoon
cheese grater

Add taco seasoning to the ground beef and cook according to package directions.

With the bags unopened, gently crush the corn chips.  Snip the corners of the bags using scissors and slit open the bags along the edge.

Spoon equal amounts of the beef mixture, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa and sour cream into the bags on top of the crushed chips.

Serve in the bag and eat with a fork.

Makes 4 servings.


Miss V didn't want to crush the chips this time.

 I had mine on a plate with some spanish rice.